1922. Irish Societies. 31 



Pheasant from Miss J. Stronge, a Peregrine Falcon from Mr. K. E. 

 Longfield, Sparrow Hawks from Dr. R. R. Leeper, Mrs. Bagster and 

 Mrs. Brady, Kestrels from Mr. W. W. Despard and Mr. T. Grieve, two 

 Diamond Pythons, a Boa and two Blue-tongued Skinks from a member 

 of Council, and 8,000 Salmon Ova from the Irish Fisheries Office. A 

 Rhesus, and a Kra Monkey and a Roseate Cockatoo have been deposited, 

 and a pair of Silver Pheasants received in exchange. A Bison Calf has 

 been born. 



Among recent purchases are a second young male Chimpanzee, two 

 Sooty Mangabeys, two Lion Marmosets, a Raccoon, a Badger, a Crested 

 Porcupine, three Ariel Toucans, a Patagonian Conure, six Quaker 

 Parrakeets, a Bantam Game Cock, four Guinea-fowl, two Bateleur 

 Eagles, and a ]\Iartial Hawk Eagle. A valuable consignment of Australian 

 animals form an especially noteworthy purchase, including pairs of 

 Woodward Kangaroos, Black-striped Wallabies, Black Wombats, 

 Phalangers, Wedge-tailed Eagles, Lilac-crow^ned Pigeons, and Yellow- 

 bellied Fruit Pigeons. A healthy young Kangaroo has been born since 

 the arrival of these animals. 



DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. 



February 8. — The Club met at Leinster House, the President in 

 the chair. 



J. N. Halbert exhibited a new acarid belonging to the genus 

 Rhaphignathus found recently under stones amongst heather on Howth 

 Head. The species is a remarkable one on account of its very small 

 size, the sculpturing of the epidermis, and the presence of beautifully 

 pectinated hairs on the body in which it differs from all the known species 

 of the genus. 



BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. 



January 17. — J. A. S. Stendall, M.B.O.U., gave a lecture on Spiders. 

 The chair was occupied by the President (S. A. Bennett, B.A., B.Sc), 

 who, before introducing the lecturer, proposed that J. K. Charles worth, 

 M.Sc, Ph.D., F.G.S., and R. J. Welch, M.R.I.A., should be transferred 

 to the class of honorary members, this proposal being unanimously adopted 

 by the meeting. 



The lecturer commenced by explaining that the spider does not belong 

 to the insect group, as is very generally supposed. The life history of 

 a spider was given. The eggs, ranging in number among different species, 

 were deposited in a silken egg-sac specially prepared for their reception. 

 The young are very tiny, but are almost complete spiders in miniature. 

 They live in harmony in the silken sac for a little while and then moult, 

 after which they are able to use their own spinning organs and to eat. 

 They are great cannibals, and if enough food does not come their way 

 they will eat one another. All young spiders, irrespective of species. 



